Shadows and Spells: A Cozy Haunted House Culinary Mystery by Stone Alice

Author:Stone, Alice
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: MM Innovative Creations
Published: 2024-01-20T00:00:00+00:00

7

Killing Bears

As we stepped through the threshold of the old, rundown bar, the atmosphere of foreboding hit me like a foul stench.

And literal foul smells hit me, too. Eck.

The dark interior hung with the thick scent of stale beer and old fried food. The dim lighting cast long shadows across the paint-chipped and stained walls. The worn wooden floorboards felt sticky underneath my feet.

A bar that ran the length of one wall was chipped and scarred, revealing years of heavy use. Even the stools surrounding it had seen better days, the vinyl seats cracked and faded.

The patrons were a surprising combination of ages. Many were older and looked as if they had been coming here for years. Their lined faces bore the tales of hard living. But there was a younger crowd here, too. Some of them looked almost trendy in their cool t-shirts and expensive jeans. They seem too hip for a place like this.

Immediately, I focused on a younger group gathered at the end of the bar. There were five of them. All male. They seemed like the most likely candidates to be the hunters. After all, chasing vampires had to require physical strength and agility. The older crowd looked resigned and too tired to go vampire hunting.

But I might be stereotyping. If you have the right tools, maybe you don’t need to be strong or fast. I need to work on that.

But Vincent must’ve had the same reasoning because he led us to a booth not far from the younger men. As we settled into the dimly lit corner, I couldn't help but feel both caution and curiosity.

If anybody had told me yesterday that I would be on a stakeout with a vampire, spying on vampire hunters, I would’ve said they were crazy. Now, I was wondering if I was the crazy one.

No sooner had we sat down at a table, sliding across the vinyl benches patched with duct tape, than our server came out of nowhere. She appeared older than she probably was with her blonde hair up in a messy bun and a less-than-thrilled expression on her face.

“Did you want menus?” Her tone matched her appearance, tired and impatient.

The idea of eating something in this place wasn’t exactly appealing. But I was officially starving. And I wasn’t going to be a good spy if I was fixated on my empty, rumbling belly.

“Yes, please,” I said.

She nodded, then returned to the bar presumably to get the menus. A few moments later, she returned. She dropped two laminated pages on the table.

I reached for them. They were almost as sticky as the floor. Maybe I’ll just wait and see what we had to eat back at the house.

Vincent picked up the other one. That was the first time the server actually noticed him. Her sour expression instantly perked up. She even tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear and rolled up on her toes and back down while staring at him.

“How about some drinks?" The woman’s tone had become considerably more friendly.

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